This is a repost of a story I wrote some years ago now, rewritten for 1999. It's a possible version of what happened at the end of the Deal - the night Francesca Vecchio visited Benton Fraser.

Rated R m/f

All Your Kisses I Still Taste

Francesca Vecchio hugged her overcoat tightly about her body as she stepped from the taxi in front of her home. The night air whipped around her bare ankles and up under her coat as she mounted the steps, but she didn't feel its chill. Her face bore the sensual flush of a woman who had been totally and completely loved and nothing could penetrate that.

She let herself into the Vecchio home, smiling at the memory of the lover she had just left across town. He had kissed her as she was leaving, grabbing her arm and pulling her to him, pushing her coat open so that her breasts flattened against his chest. It was a passionate kiss, deep and intense and she could feel it still. Then he took her hand and led her downstairs to the waiting taxi. He smiled and touched her cheek, neither of them speaking. Then he kissed her again, on the forehead this time. It was a chaste, brotherly kiss. They had left their passion upstairs in his apartment.

He had invited her to stay, of course, but she had refused, partly because she didn't want to come home in the middle of a Vecchio family breakfast and answer the inevitable questions, but mostly because waking up in the cold light of dawn in his austere apartment would break the spell, ruin everything for her. She wanted the memory of this night to be untouched by reality.

He was right of course, as he seemed to be about everything. They weren't meant for each other. But he had afforded her one night, a night of love and passion she would never forget. The night her dreams came true.

In the sanctity of her bedroom Francesca removed what little clothing she wore and slipped naked into her bed. She would shower in the morning. She wasn't ready yet to wash his scent off her body. The cotton sheets were cool against her fevered skin, still hot from his touch. She smiled into the darkness, touching her fingers to her lips, wanting to imprint the memory of his every touch on her mind before it faded.

She wouldn't see him again, not like that anyway, naked and flushed with desire, inhibitions abandoned, hair tousled and finally, vulnerable. No, next time she saw him he would be her brother's best friend again, dressed in that ridiculous uniform, standing at attention, hands folded demurely in front of him.

"Hello, Francesca," he would say his voice giving no hint of the passion they had shared.

"Hello, Benton," she would say.

The look on Benton Fraser's face would be with Francesca forever. Just like a squirrel caught in someone's headlights, she thought.

Her coat lay in a pile at her feet and she wore only a black lace corset.

"Don't be afraid," she purred.

He walked towards her, looking anxious and uncomfortable. "It's late, Francesca, I was already in bed."

His naivete made her smile. She had planned it that way. She took a step towards him, but he surprised her with a quick side step to collect her coat from the floor where she had let it fall. For a moment she was distracted, admiring the way his muscles moved beneath the absurd red long johns he wore. It struck her suddenly how on anyone else they would look silly.

When he was upright again, he put the coat around her shoulders. Not to be outwitted twice, Francesca used his distraction and slid her hands up his arms and around his neck. Her coat fell to the floor again.

"Francesca, I...."

There was a note of frustration in his voice but she ignored it, silencing him by pressing her lips to his. His mouth was unyielding under hers and she wondered absently if he had ever kissed anyone before. Tilting her head slightly, she smiled reassuringly at him.

"Relax, Fraser, I'll take care of everything," she whispered, sliding her hands down his chest and starting to work on the buttons of his long johns.

His hands caught her wrists and pulled them away. Frowning, she realised that perhaps it wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. She considered her next move.

Francesca was sure that once she offered herself to Fraser he wouldn't object. She expected it to take some work on her part, but she figured her determination would win out eventually. She hadn't expected him to be this demure. A thought crossed her mind briefly as he held her wrists, that maybe he didn't like women, but she dismissed it as she saw a look she couldn't quite decipher flash across his face.

Suddenly his grip tightened and he pulled her towards him. Releasing her wrists, he slid his arms around her slender waist. This is more like it, she thought to herself. Smiling a victor's smile, her arms went around his neck as their bodies pressed together. She pressed her lips to his once again. This time his mouth yielded to her and he did not resist as her tongue worked its way into his mouth. All too soon the kiss was over.

"It's OK, Benton. I'll show you."

He smiled innocently and pulled her towards him again, his hands tangling in her hair as he kissed her. This time his tongue probed her mouth. Francesca moaned into the kiss. It was not a beginners kiss. When he let her up for air she could not speak.

"I don' t think I need any help, Francesca," he said softly, without any hint of conceit, then kissed her again.

It was a deep, passionate kiss that left her panting. Fraser looked at her, as if studying her. Finally finding her voice, Francesca opened her mouth to speak.

He interrupted her with a smile and spoke in a voice filled with tenderness. "I can't give you what you want, Francesca. I can't love you like you want me to."

His gentle tone softened the meaning behind his words and Francesca was amazed to find that she understood. She wondered at his power. The same words from anyone else would hurt, leaving a wound that would be long in healing.

"Benton..." she began, but stopped, not trusting her voice.

He grinned a surprising lewd grin then reached for her hand, pressing it against his groin. Startled, she froze for a second then curled her fingers around his length, enjoying its swell under her touch and the soft moan that fell from his lips.

"I... I'm very attracted to you, Francesca, I think you can see that." His hand covered hers again and lifted it away, the look on his face growing serious and his voice more tender. "But I don't feel what need you need a man to feel for you. I'm not the person you should spend the rest of your life with."

Francesca sighed with disappointment. In her heart she knew he was right. But he was so goddamned beautiful and she wanted him so much and for a fleeting moment it had seemed she just might get him. But she had no power now. She steeled herself, ready to summon the remains of her pride and leave with what dignity she could muster.

Fraser, it seemed, had other plans. He moved her hand back to the growing bulge in his longjohns, his hand holding hers in place. Wide-eyed she stared at him. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but this definitely wasn't it.

"This is all I can offer you, Francesca. I can give you tonight, if that's enough, but I can't give you more, it wouldn't be fair to you. I can't do that."

She looked into his eyes and saw tenderness there. She considered what he offered her, considered her life and considered the lesson he was about to teach her. Yes, she decided, tonight would be enough.

"Is this OK, Francesca? Is this what you want?" he asked in a voice made deeper by desire.

Unable to speak, she nodded her acquiescence. He kissed her gently, then took her hand and led her to his bed.

In the soft light of his bedside lamp he kissed her again. This time she responded, sliding her hands up his back, relishing the strength in his muscles as she caressed his body. His hand went to the catches on her corset and she was surprised when expert fingers undid them without faltering. He eased the lace garment from her body and laid it reverently on the chair by the bed. She watched, wide-eyed, as he gently pushed her into a sitting position on the bed and knelt in front of her, tenderly rolling the stockings off each of her legs. He chuckled lightly and kissed her again. Francesca let out a soft moan and felt the wetness spread between her legs.

When she was naked Fraser reached out a hand to cup her breast before bringing his head down to her nipple, taking it between his lips and rolling it over his tongue.

"Yes," she hissed softly, trembling with excitement.

He released her breast and stood again, his groin at her eye level. In a heartbeat he was out of his long johns, standing naked and proud before her. Francesca gasped at the sight of him. He was even more beautiful than she had imagined. Her lips parted slightly and she felt a heat rise through her body. Wordlessly he pushed her backward onto the bed and lay beside her. It struck her at that moment that she had expected to be the one leading him, encouraging him, teaching him. But instead she was silent and still, waiting for his guidance.

He kissed her throat, cupping a breast in his hand and she bit her lip, parting her legs slightly. Francesca reached a hand to touch him, to feel his skin, but he caught her hand and held her arm away.

"Be patient, Francesca, there's no rush," he whispered into her mouth as he kissed her again.

She was dizzy with desire as he bent his head and captured her nipple between his lips. She gasped again and then it became a sharp cry as he nipped at her with his teeth, the wetness between her legs spreading as her passion grew. Sliding a hand down her body he curled his fingers through her soft hair, rubbing her moist lips, all the while kissing her hungrily. Francesca moaned with pleasure as his fingers parted her and slid inside.

His mouth trailed slowly down her body, kissing her breasts and stomach. He circled her navel with his tongue, licking and kissing the curve of her belly in an ever downward path until he was spreading and kissing the wet lips that his fingers had readied only minutes before. Francesca shuddered, writhing as his mouth claimed its prize, then lost herself in his insistent, exquisite caress.

She felt the sweet tension growing inside her, then she came suddenly, digging her fingers into his shoulders and calling out his name. Just as she was about to beg him, he knelt over her, staring at her with a soul-reaching gaze, his knees nudging her legs further apart.

"Please..." she whispered, in a barely audible voice.

"Tell me, Francesca, tell me what you want," Fraser demanded in a dark, husky tone.

"I want.... I want you inside me."

His eyes were unblinking as he parted her lips and complied with her request, sliding into her welcoming heat. She cried out in pleasure as he buried himself inside her and then withdrew again slowly.

"Like that?" he asked, a hint of a smile touching the corner of his lips.

"Oh...."

Anything she would have said was lost as the pace of his thrusts began to pick up. With practised hands he pulled a pillow under her hips, tilting her pelvis up, not once losing his rhythm. Francesca ran her hands over his body, over his chest and arms, her fingers gripping as his movements quickened. She moaned again.

"Tell me," he demanded as her fingers dug into his back.

"Faster," she cried, her passion making her suddenly bold.

A shudder ran through Fraser's body and he took his weight on his arms, leaning over her as he increased his pace. A noise escaped Francesca's throat as she felt her orgasm start somewhere deep inside her being. When the waves began to wash over her body she moved her hands to grip his ass and forced him deeper into her body.

"Stop!" Her commanding tone surprised them both.

Her hands kept him still and she saw a smile flicker across his lips as her orgasm rocked through her body. His smile became a look of ecstasy as his own climax overtook him, his body trembling over her. The pulsations of his cock prolonged her orgasm and she cried out again. His eyes closed briefly and then fluttered open to meet her gaze and for one brief moment she saw into his soul and understood the man. This was to be the only time she would feel some semblance of control this night.

Fraser collapsed onto the bed beside her, dragging her into his arms, holding her close against him. She rested her head on his chest and listened as his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

Francesca drifted into a peaceful sleep.

The rest of the Vecchio family was already halfway through breakfast when Francesca came down the next morning. Silently she took her place at the table, ignoring the hubbub around her. She began to eat slowly, losing herself in the memory of the night before. Smiling, she remembered the last time she had eaten. She had been naked, sitting on the table in Fraser's tiny kitchen. He was naked and feeding her food she had never eaten before; coconut jelly and steamed pork buns, slipping the morsels of food between her lips with his fingers. He told her Mrs Lee had brought the food to him as a gift for his help in finding her son and having Charlie Wong arrested.

She had marvelled at the wonder of this man who seemed to do everything for others and nothing for himself. Then he had surprised her, taking her roughly from behind, bending her forward so she had to brace her hands on the cupboards. He took his pleasure first, not waiting for her, then surprised her again using his hands to give her the pleasure he had denied her moments earlier. She had been breathless and shaking when it was over and he had gallantly carried her back to his bed.

An insistent voice at the other end of the table jolted her out of the memory.

"Yo! Earth to Frannie!" Ray waved his hands at her from the other end of the table.

"I'm sorry, Ray?" Francesca blinked to remove the image of a naked Fraser from her mind. "What were you saying?"

Ray rolled his eyes. "I said, were you out with that Cicciari guy again last night?"

She had forgotten that she'd even dated David Cicciari the week before. It seemed so long ago.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out," Francesca taunted, using the same phrase she had used with her brother since childhood.

She went back to eating and barely noticed as Ray got up to leave for work. She pretended not to hear what he said to Maria on his way out the door.

"She's probably dreaming about the diamond she thinks that Cicciari jerk's gonna give her."

Actually she had been remembering the delicate sigh Fraser had made when she took his cock in her mouth.

A week passed before she saw him again. She was coming home, once again late for dinner, when she saw Fraser and Ray coming out the front door of the Vecchio household. She knew they had planned to go to a baseball game that night, but she hadn't realised they would be coming home to eat first. Of course, Ray had neglected to mention that fact, but it didn't bother her, as it would have a week earlier.

When Ray finally saw his sister he rolled his eyes and glared at her.

"No, Frannie, I'm not taking you with us."

"I had no intention of asking, Ray. Anyway, I have other plans," she replied, glaring back at her brother. Quickly she turned to Fraser, the snarl replaced with a smile.

Ray tried to pull Fraser towards the car, but Fraser stopped in front of Francesca, ignoring the glare Ray gave him.

"Hello, Francesca." The smile Benton Fraser gave her was warm, but in his voice there was no hint of the passion they had shared.

"Hello, Benton."

They looked at each other in without speaking for a moment and then Fraser nodded and headed towards the car. She watched as he went, a contented smile on her face, despite the ranting of her brother as he waited for his friend.

As Fraser bent to get into the Riv, he turned his head and gave her a look that women all over Chicago would have killed for.

Francesca turned and walked slowly into the house, her lips rosy with the memory of his kisses.